At this year’s Skill Development Conference we introduced a new event called Focused Discussion Groups. This event was designed to provide a forum for ALTs to candidly ask each other questions about their situations, as well as be a place that ALTs could tell others about their personal accomplishments as educators and savvy expats in Japan. This forum produced a ton of insight about what it’s like to be an ALT and we want to share our knowledge.
Thank you to all the ALTs that contributed to their FDG conversations, and thanks for striving to improve yourselves. Although we were not able to share, or even record, everything that was said or discussed, here are some of the highlights of the FDGs.
Click on the topics below to skip straight to one or keep scrolling and read them all ^^
8 things I do that make me a great ALT
Faux pas I have committed but since corrected
Advice you would give yourself about nomikai
How your teaching style has evolved since your first year
What to do when you have no direction or input from JTEs or supervisors
Advice about kyushoku conversation with students
How to deal with varied student abilities in the same class
Some games and activities that always work well
What to do when you have nothing to do
Things you worried about at first that you shouldn’t have
Things I do that make me a great ALT:
- I make resources for my classes (storyboards, flash cards).
- I create original worksheets based on info in the textbooks.
- I get to know the students outside of class.
- I strive to build relationships with my colleagues.
- I speak with students who are not in my class.
- I take time to interact one-on-one with students in class.
- I read English picture books in class, even if they don’t know the words. I use silly voices and expressions. I do my best to make it fun for them.
- Learn kids names – kids respond differently to you when you remember their names.
Faux pas I have committed but since corrected.
- I gave cookies to students without permission.
- I said “shinda” (lit. “you died”) in class to kids during a game. This was very poorly received.
- I forgot to switch shoes at the bathroom.
- I had to learn not to whistle at school. It’s just part of the rules. Whistling isn’t polite here.
- I realized that although I received tea in the morning, I have to refill my own cup after the first.
- Teachers and students found it odd that I brought a giant bottle of water to work every day.
- I realized I should bring my own shoes to work. We should only rely on the school’s slippers when we forget. All other teachers bring their own slippers so we should too.
- Is it wrong to eat food at your desk? Nah.
- I drank water during class in front of students. Students aren’t allowed to drink in class so neither are we.
- The “thumbs up” gesture is good, but “thumbs down” is a very bad gesture in Japanese culture.
- I learned to stop pretending to understand Japanese when I actually didn’t. It’s painful to admit that I don’t understand, but in the long run there are less misunderstandings.
Advice you would give yourself about nomikai:
- Drink Ukon no chikara. (other ALTs dispute this advice)
- There is a possibility that the staff will sing the school song with arms slung around each others shoulders, whilst in circle formation. If you can listen to it once before the time, then do. But if not, then at least remember this warning if people start creating a circle.
- They will cost a lot of money, be prepared. The average enkai is between 4,000 and 6,000 yen. It’s advisable to budget for two or three nomikai in the first month or so. There will be more in December/January, then even more in March/April.
- Don’t be shy. There are usually secret English speakers that will come out of the woodwork after a couple of drinks.
- It’s wise to be prepared to give a short speech. If you can do it in both Japanese and English that’s great. A few sentences you can say well is perfect, you don’t need to overdo it.
- Make a transportation plan for getting to and from the venue.
- Ipponjime (一本締め）- A synchronized single clap to close a party. Everyone stands up, one person leads by saying “Yohhhh-OHP!” and everyone claps in sync at the “OHP!” part.
How has your teaching style evolved since your first year?
- It has changed from being teacher-driven to more student-driven.
- No longer about teaching the students English. It is now more about inspiring the students to want to learn English. Learning is more incidental and organic.
- I have adapted to accommodate my JTEs’ particular teaching styles.
- Be assured that at first no one has any idea what is going on. Building confidence for yourself will go a long way in helping you to be more successful as an ALT.
- It now takes me less time to prep for class.
- I have a few ready activities to draw on if I have extra time at the end of class.
- I reuse materials over several sessions with the same class. I reduced the number of words I aim to teach. (Slow down. Simplify. Be patient. Do gestures.)
- I have learned to help students individually in classes.
- I have been able to focus on building blocks of language to help the kids express themselves. That allows the kids build what they want to say.
- My time management has gotten stronger.
- Team teaching and teamwork is part of my regular routine.
- I don’t fix student’s sentence structures anymore. As long as I understand it’s okay.
What do you do when you have no direction or input from JTEs or supervisors?
- First of all, don’t panic.
- Ask where the students are at to start conversations about how to help out.
- Use other ALTs as a resource, share materials and ideas.
Advice about kyushoku conversation with students:
- I bring pictures or books to start conversations.
- I have a few “what if” questions ready to fire at them.
- I use that time to practice my Japanese with them.
- Ask low level English Questions.
- I try to learn students names and get to know them.
- It is a good time to be silly with them.
How do you deal with varied student abilities in the same class?
- I confer with the JTE to find ways to help struggling students.
- During a standard level class, I will add a few advanced things on the English board to provide the students a way to challenge themselves.
- My English Board has different levels built into it.
- I make bonus questions. This keeps the really advanced students busy so that they don’t give answers to the other students.
- I use a balance of Japanese and English in class – it gives students an attainable goal.
- I make sure I know who the lower level students are and don’t ask them questions that are beyond their level.
- I encourage the students to use the English they know.
What are some games and activities that always work well for you?
- Memory card game (shinkeisuijaku).
- Hot seat game.
- Jeopardy.
- Charades.
- Pictionary.
- Special review lesson at the end of a year. Teams compete to finish a series of tasks. First person done wins. Sometimes have a racetrack on the board. It works well because everyone has to go at the same time. They also get to see the progress of other teams on the board. It let’s them practice a lot of English without them realizing it. It is a very flexible format, just vary the content.
- Octopus-becomes-takoyaki version of hangman. The octopus starts out with eight legs but with every incorrect answer it loses one. When it’s lost all its legs it becomes a takoyaki. (This is a good option since hangman is a bit grim, and kids love takoyaki. )
- Don’t be afraid of drawing on the board.
- Mario Kart.
- Gesture games – associating words with actions (aside from charades).
What do you do when you have nothing to do?
- I do arts and crafts for classes and make things for the English board.
- Some schools don’t mind you going on your phone if everyone else is doing it.
- Some schools let you leave a bit early to catch a bus if you need to.
- Study Japanese.
- Read the news.
- Lesson planning (all from scratch).
- Look at soccer coaching videos. (This ALT helps coach girls soccer at one school)
- Ask the teachers around you for travel advice.
- Join in with clubs. Kids have clubs during the daytime in summer break. Ask teachers for schedules of the clubs that will be going on.
- Go to the farm. (This is an ALT from an agricultural HS)
- Bake in the school kitchen/cooking room.
- Wander about the school and poke my head into other classes.
- Work on Nagazasshi stuff. (A magazine made by Nagasaki JETs)
- Write a blog.
- Write letters to people back home.
What are things you worried about at first that you shouldn’t have?
- What to wear to school – although the surprise ceremonies and sports days mean that a spare set of clothing is a good idea. (Click here for our page on what our ALTs actually wear!)
- Japanese proficiency – my predecessor had very good Japanese and taught classes in Japanese, but teaching in English is more challenging for the students. Don’t worry too much since you’ll learn here.
- Don’t stress – being relaxed lets you speak better (like at a nomikai).
